This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at McGill chapter.
Leomie Anderson is the ultimate cool-girl.
The British model juggles her time between modelling and operating her recently launched brand, Leomie Anderson the Project the Purpose (LAPP).
There are so many reasons to list why she’s so incredible, but let’s try to break it down to some of the key ones.
- She is a full-time model, strutting poses for brands like Victoria’s Secret, Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs and Moschino. The sought-after model proves that modelling is in fact a tough job. Often reduced to a frivolous career in a shallow industry, Anderson is one of the pioneers that proves fashion has a lot more substance than most people care to see. “I’ve always used fashion as a way to express myself… To me, fashion is kind of a universal language and has always been one of the best tools to communicate a message.” The brainy entrepeneur is dedicated to marrying the fashion agenda with a movement of empowerment .
- Leomie built up her own newly-launched business. The fresh fashion line carries merchandise with some pretty clear messages about consent. “With Lapp, I will create clothing pieces which have a message that relate back to women’s issues.” While her new collection of bright t-shirts is making consent “fashionable,” the empowering energy of the shirts is also a strategy for women to challenge or respond to harassers.
- She is not shy to speak about the fashion industry’s struggle with diversity. The catwalk favourite has stirred conversation in the news lately about issues of colourism. In interviews, she bravely shares her personal experiences and relates it to the broader theme of the industry’s racism. “I have experienced racism before. I was made to wait at a casting for an hour, only to then be singled out alongside an Asian girl and told that they were not casting any ethnics this season.” This admirable effort allows her voice to be a source of strength that other models can draw from when they are being challenged by Eurocentric standards.
- Her blog makes an effort to interact with its users and consumers. Viewers are encouraged to share their personal stories since LAPP works to make sure people’s needs are reflected. It’s a neat idea because it makes the blog a mosaic of beautiful narratives covering a multitude of topics. She ensures the progressive nature of the platform by reviewing the submissions of the followers. “The more interest and contributions I get, the bigger it can spread. I want to be able to connect and inspire with everything I do.”
- She dreams BIG. The sky is the limit. With future plans of making a TED talk, the well-spoken model is always pushing out her thoughts, content, inspirations and whatever she feels will bring a positive influence to this world. She actively pursues her journalistic ambitions. Leomie works hard on making her brand grow by nurturing it with affection and relatable pieces for her readers. She seems to take on multiple career tracks and make them blend flawlessly.
- **Bonus** Her social media is on point! Her 53K followers are fan-crazy for a reason! The runway star finds social media platforms are both a social and entrepenturial tool as they can provide models a voice and a personality, as opposed to being shrunk to “two dimensional magazine clippings.”
Image obtained from: